Farewell to Grace Baptist (and the SBC) and Hello to St. John UCC

It has come to this: I am officially leaving Grace Baptist Church, a church that I called home for the past 13+ years is no longer going to be my home of worship and my last remaining link to the days that I stayed over at Grandma Alice's on Saturday nights to go to church on Sundays.

After the end of the evening worship service on Sunday Night, I was lectured by Steve Trask, the worship leader, on certain theological and political issues-- most notably homosexuality and my support of same-sex marriage and abortion. He raised ire over my Facebook profile picture supporting marriage equality in honor of the state's passage of SB10 last week (and he raised complaints over it earlier in 2013). He also noticed that I was NEVER a formal member of GBC; however, my now-deceased Grandma was, via a letter from Suburban. More dubiously, I was ALMOST scheduled to be baptized back in October 2003; however, the bus forgot to came by that Sunday, and thus I was not to be baptized that day.

I told him, Pastor Daniel, the Helliges, and a few others at the church that night as to why I am leaving. The reason?
It is that I can no longer abide to be a regular attender at a church whose theology opposes abortion rights, marriage equality, liberalism, women's rights, cohabitation, divorce, single parenting (my mom divorced my dad in 2006), safe sex education, contraception, and birth control. Also, it was better to resign on my own rather than forcing a possible expulsion from attendership by the church.

I have came to know a lot of very pleasant people from the church over the years, including but not limited to: Thom and Rosie Wells, Alicia Gaines (via GCHS) and her son Hudson, David and Jessica Hellige and their son Camdyn, Bro. John Oswald (no longer at GBC), Bro. Ben Towell and Heather Towell, Bill and Theresa Horn and their daughters Jackie and Cherish, William Southerland, Nicki and Gary Zimmerman and their two daughters Brooke and Brianna, Tim and Tracey Faulkner, Taylor Riggs, Terry and Kimberly Jackson, Robin Macios, Tim Hayes, Chris Markovich and the Clowns Thru Grace Ministry, Jesse Maeser, Millie Hand, Kathy Rudolph, Rich Trindle (now deceased), Alexis and Sean Betts, Kelsey Grillion, Ryan Faulkner, Keith and Kelly Dunnigan, Doug and Dana Clemons, Steve and Karen Trask and their two children Jessica and Steven, Andrea and Andrew O'Shia, Jeremy Hartman, Mike and Millie Hankes, Corissa Steele, Dawn Boone, Peggy Cunningham, Beverly Brassfield, Joe Miller and the Jezreel Sun band, Sheila Gergen, Phil and Lisa Lemus, Alicia and Kevin Shaffer and their daughter Victoria, Jon Ferry, Chelsea Toussaint, Jolene and Gary Terrell, Ed and Denise Clothier, Amanda Mitchell, Ed and Joanie Niepert, Kevin and Katie Feigenbutz, Cathy Mitchell, Ron and Vickie Ferry, Don Thompson, Jesse Welty, Larry Freese, Kinsey McKibbin, Danny McNeely, Melissa Mullen, Craig and Mary Astorian and their daughter April, Mike and Rebecca Sullivan, Mark and Val Haas, Carla Hughes, Christi Clark, Sherry Phouangmalay, Kennedy Capps, Nick Garner, Steven Garner, Martinea Dailey, Ike and Danielle Newman, and countless others.

And I will no longer be posting church announcements on the Grace Baptist Church FB group page anymore except the church Fantasy Football league for the remainder of the current season.

With all that being said, I will find myself a new church home (which is most likely St. John UCC) possibly as soon as this upcoming Sunday or the next one.

Despite being at a new church, I will still be at the GBC fantasy football draft for next year and all future years and be open to occasional visits.




My blogpost from June 2013 on this issue contains much of the same reasons why I am withdrawing now.

I started attending back in 2000 when my Grandma switched membership from Suburban Baptist Church.Not long after my Grandma couldn't drive anymore, I relied on the strong and robust bus ministry to take me to and from there. If it weren't for them, I would likely be long gone from Grace. Also, I gained (and lost) friends during my 12.5 years at Grace Baptist. With that being said, there were bumps in the road along the way, such as attacks on my Christianity and liberalism in later years (primarily from Ron Martin), especially for endorsing President Obama and supporting abortion rights and same-sex marriage.  

How I became pro-choice and pro-marriage equality, which ties into this a lot: I'd say sometime between the election of Obama in 2008 and being in Ms. Ames' economics class and the passage of the Hate Crimes Law in 2009 for the latter. For the former, it was around the time that Dr. Tiller got killed that changed my views on abortion from leaning personally pro-life but not for restrictive abortion laws to pro-choice and even moreso recently. However, I am still opposed to assisted suicide.

My tweet announcing the departure from Grace Baptist, after 13+ years there and a lifelong attender of a Southern Baptist Convention church:

I have decided to finally leave Grace Baptist Church, a church that I was a part of for 13+ years.
— Justin Gibson (@JGibsonDem) November 11, 2013

Victory has been achieved in Illinois, as it becomes the 15th state to pass marriage equality

Yesterday, as the SB10 bill was passed in the House 61-54-2-1 and then subsequently passed the Senate 32-21-0-6, Illinois became the 15th state (plus DC) to pass marriage equality.


It was a very good day for us Illinois who believed in fairness and equality, and a very bad day for the homophobes such as the Illinois Family Institute who lobbied against it.

USNews.NBCNews.com:

The Illinois General Assembly approved a bill on Tuesday to allow gays and lesbians to marry in the Land of Lincoln, opening the path for the state to become the 15th to allow same-sex marriage. 

The vote capped a months-long wait for a ballot on the measure while gay marriage advocates worked on getting the support needed to pass the legislation. The House of Representatives, where the bill stalled earlier this year after the Senate passed it, approved the legislation, 61-54.  

“Today, the Illinois House put our state on the right side of history,” said Gov. Pat Quinn, who has long vowed to sign the legislation.  The measure had to return to the Senate since the House added an amendment to make June 1 the effective date of the legislation — rather than 30 days after Quinn signs it. The Senate quickly endorsed the bill after the House vote.

After the ballot, the White House tweeted: "RT if you agree that every American should have the freedom to marry who they love."

Illinois is poised to become the 15th state nationwide to allow same-sex marriage and join two of its Midwest neighbors – Iowa and Minnesota – in granting gay couples the right to wed. The District of Columbia allows gay marriage, too.
The vote comes two weeks after same-sex marriages began in New Jersey, where the state dropped its legal appeal to prohibit the weddings, and comes ahead of a similar ballot in Hawaii.
Rep. Greg Harris, a primary sponsor of the bill from Chicago who is openly gay, announced last May that he wouldn't call a vote on the legislation since he wasn’t sure it had enough support for approval, The Advocate reported. 

[...] 

 Couples who had previously joined in civil unions, which were approved in the state 2010 and began in mid-2011, will be able to have that legal relationship converted into marriage. They have one year to make the change, and typical marriage fees will be waived, according to the legislation.

I am so happy about this!

Marriage Equality may be headed for a vote in the Illinois House next week. Will it pass?

Next week, as the veto session resumes in Illinois, a very important bill will be up for a vote in Springfield. That bill is the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act (IL SB10), which if passed, will make Illinois either the 15th or the 16th state to legalize marriage equality.

ABCChicago.com:

November 1, 2013 (CHICAGO) -- After months of energetic lobbying, both sides in the Illinois same-sex marriage debate are ready for a vote next week that supporters say would fulfill a pledge by the sponsor to bring the issue back to Springfield.
Anticipating a likely vote during the final week of the veto session, some lawmakers previously on the fence have announced their position on the question. Others are quickly drafting proposed changes so they can support the bill. More activists are calling for immediate action. And even opponents are planning for fallout ahead of the campaign season.  

IllinoisObserver.net:

(Chicago) – Insider: It seems likely that the Illinois House will be voting on same sex marriage legislation when lawmakers return to Springfield next week.
State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), the measure’s chief House sponsor, strongly hinted on Wednesday night that he plans to call the bill for a vote during the last week of the fall veto session which begins on Tuesday, November 5. 

“I think my colleagues should be prepared next week to make history on marriage equality,” Harris told The Illinois Observer during his fall fundraiser in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.
“I spent the day making calls on marriage,” Harris said. “I very happy.” 

Another Democratic lawmaker contacted by The Illinois Observer echoed Harris.
“Greg says he’s calling the bill next week and that’s he got the votes,” said the legislator. “I don’t know who he has flipped.” 

In May, on the last day of the legislature’s spring session, Harris declined to call the legislation, Senate Bill 10, for a vote, saying that the votes were not there and that his colleagues needed more time in order to consult their constituents for a vote in the fall.
Harris’ comments on Wednesday come on the heels of other political intelligence that surfaced earlier this week regarding House Speaker Michael Madigan and the marriage equality legislation.

The REAL FACTS about IL SB10:

I personally hope and pray that same-sex marriage is legalized in my home state, and I urge you to call and/or email your Representative to tell that person to vote YES on IL SB10! In the words of Duck Dynasty's Uncle Si, Let's pass the damn bill, jack!

More on the IL marriage equality fight, see the #IL4M tag on Justin's Political Corner: http://justinspoliticalcorner.tumblr.com/tagged/IL4M


Twitter/Instagram/Facebook hashtags in support of IL SB10: #IL4M, #ILove, #ILequality, #ILSB10, #ILCantWait

The St. Louis Rams are exciting again.

I was born in 1990, when the team was known as the Los Angeles Rams. Then in 1995, the Rams moved to St. Louis and they stayed there since then.

I was so happy when the Rams won a Super Bowl back in 2000 against the Tennessee Titans.
2 years later, it was the opposite: the New England Cheatriots (Patriots) snatched a Super Bowl victory out of our hands.

And during the rest of the 2000s and until 2011, it was depressing to be a Rams fan, but I stuck with them.

During the disastrous 2009 season in which they were 1-15-0, the lowest point of the history of the occurred in franchise history, but even worse damage was thankfully averted, as Rush Limbaugh's bid to buy the team was denied. Had Limbaugh been allowed to own the Rams, it would've been the impetus to quit rooting for the Rams and cheer on the Steelers, Bills, and/or the Bears instead.


Nowadays, the Rams are getting much better.

Tomorrow will be the biggest day in the history of LGBTQ rights in America

Tomorrow, at 10:00AM EDT/9:00AM CDT/7:00AM PDT, the Supreme Court of the United States will decide the fate of two key LGBTQ rights/marriage equality cases: California's Prop 8 (Hollingsworth v. Perry) and DOMA (United States v. Windsor).


How I realistically view what SCOTUS will rule on the two cases: DOMA is expected to get buried in the trashcan (i.e. overturned), while Prop 8 will either be struck down in some fashion (California-only being most likely) or get punted.

Let's hope and pray that DOMA and Prop 8 are both fully off the books!!!

URGENT announcement: This concerns my future as a member of Grace Baptist

Grace Baptist Church, Granite City, IL.

I really, really, really do NOT want to be typing about this issue regarding my future membership at my church, Grace Baptist Church... and I have no choice but to do so. The concern is that my church is proposing a Statement on Marriage and Sexuality that will be voted on in the 06.12.2013 business meeting, designed primarily to silence and/or eject me and any other Democrats/LGBTQ rights/pro-reproductive choicers out of the church. As I personally believe that abortion, cohabitation, same-sex marriage, and homosexuality are not sins, this looks like the end of Grace Baptist membership for me, mostly due to the power grab proposal by the GBC higher ups. The proposal will make me end my volunteering opportunities at GBC.

I started attending back in 2000 when my Grandma switched membership from Suburban Baptist Church.
Not long after my Grandma couldn't drive anymore, I relied on the strong and robust bus ministry to take me to and from there. If it weren't for them, I would likely be long from Grace. Also, I gained (and lost) friends during my 12.5 years at Grace Baptist. With that being said, there were bumps in the road along the way, such as attacks on my Christianity and liberalism in later years (primarily from Ron Martin), especially for endorsing President Obama and supporting abortion rights and same-sex marriage.


How I became pro-choice and pro-marriage equality, which ties into this a lot: I'd say sometime between the election of Obama in 2008 and being in Ms. Ames' economics class and the passage of the Hate Crimes Law in 2009 for the latter. For the former, it was around the time that Dr. Tiller got killed that changed my views on abortion from leaning personally pro-life but not for restrictive abortion laws to pro-choice and even moreso recently. However, I am still opposed to assisted suicide.

There were lots of changes during that period, including:

• Bro. Steve Trask became music director in 2001. 
• realignment of the children's classes back in 2002 to coincide with the then-realignment of K-5 Elementary, 6-8 MS, 9-12 HS at GCSD9. (now changed to K-4 Elementary, 5-6 Intermediate, 7-8 Middle/Junior High, 9-12 HS at GCSD9)
• Bro. John Oswald named associate pastor in 2004. 
• the move to a new auditorium (from the old sanctuary, which is the current youth/multipurpose room) in 2005.
• Bro. Ben Towell named youth director in 2005.
• the abolishment of choir robes somewhere shortly after the new auditorium was completed.
• In 2006, the youth department moved to the old sanctuary.
• In October 2008, the church went to 2 Sunday services/2 Sunday Schools (9:15 and 10:45AM).
• October 2009 was the big Awakening event.
• former pastor Bro. John Gamblin resigned during the middle of the St. Louis Cardinals World Series run in October 2011.
• Thom and Rosie Wells quit the bus ministry on a regular basis in February 2012. They both still sub on Sunday Mornings and at VBS when warranted. 
• Weekly bus breakfasts were abolished in April 2012.
• associate pastor Bro. John Oswald left in August 2012. 
• The reversion back to the single Sunday morning worship service (10:45)/Sunday School (9:15) at the start of 2013.
• Bro. Daniel Wilson voted in on May 5th, 2013 and officially will take over on June 30th, 2013. 

What the odious anti-religious and anti-LGBTQ rights bill really does:

The statement that says "...It is imperative that all persons employed by the Church in ANY capacity, or who serve as volunteers, should abide by and agree to this Statement on Marriage and Sexuality conduct themselves accordingly" is the biggest reason why I am considering leaving Grace Baptist Church. It means that if the proposal passes, bye-bye VBS volunteering like I did the past two years, as I do NOT intend to follow the new M&S statement.



Why I will decide to leave Grace Baptist?

• The theological and political differences are already distant as it is between me and other members and are too great to overcome.
• I have nearly came close to being forced out of there due to Ronald Martin's blatant lies about me and his theology. 
• The church's lobbying efforts (albeit not very intense) to defeat and/or stall marriage equality in Illinois and at the Supreme Court. 
• Attacks on abortion rights, most infamously during the Super Bowl 2013 sermon by Interim Pastor Charley Westbrook. 

What to do after my likely leave from Grace? I will be headed to a new church that is at least somewhat more in line with my theological and political viewpoints, and it will be St. John UCC in Granite City. And that may start after my vacation on the last weekend of June.



If this proposal takes effect immediately, then the last Sunday I'll be at Grace as a regular attender will be either on 06.16 or 06.23 (when Pastor Daniel Wilson will preach). This is NOT a joke at all. That also means the end of posting announcements on the group's facebook page. In addition, my fantasy football career with the church is in great peril.
UPDATE: I am sticking with Grace until at least August or until expulsion.


I urge all the congregants to vote NAY on Wednesday night, 06.12.2013, and plan on showing up to vote NO on this idea, although the idea will pass by a big margin sadly. Even if I get expelled for voting NAY on this idea, it is worth the price.

A very sad day for Illinois and LGBTQ rights supporters: marriage equality punted... for now

As you may have known last night, the Illinois House of Representatives gutlessly decided NOT to vote on the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act (IL SB10), which was the bill that would've made Illinois the 13th state to legalize marriage equality. This was a bill that I personally thought was going to pass (or at least voted on). Alas, it wasn't.

As a result, I am really upset at the Illinois House and at House Speaker Michael Madigan especially for allowing a non-vote to happen. Also, ANY Democrat that votes NO to marriage equality in the fall session should get a primary challenger!

The viciously homophobic Illinois Family Institute declared last night's non-vote a "victory for 'traditional marriage'":

The bill to legalize same-sex “marriage” has failed to advance in the Illinois House before lawmakers adjourned for the summer. In a bit of political theater, the bill’s sponsor, homosexual activist Greg Harris (D-Chicago) wept as he stood on the House floor to announce that he didn’t have the votes to pass the bill. In a liberal state like Illinois, this is a truly remarkable victory. 

As Christians we know that all good things are gifts from God, and the retention of sexual complementarity in the government’s definition of marriage is a very good thing. The failure of this bill is a good thing for children, for parental rights, for religious liberty, for the common good, and for truth. 

Despite what the bill’s supporters claim in a dishonest attempt to stigmatize supporters of natural marriage, the retention of sexual complementarity in the legal definition of marriage bears no kinship to bans on interracial marriage. Nor does it signify injustice to those who seek to marry someone of the same sex. The failure of this bill signifies that marriage has a nature which the government merely recognizes and regulates, central to which is sexual complementarity. 

We should praise and thank God for this victory in an ever-expanding war on truth, and then redouble our efforts to preserve true marriage. Those who have worked so hard deserve a moment to celebrate and rest—but not for long. Representative Harris has promised to bring this bill back in the Fall Veto Session.

Dear IFI, you may be celebrating in the short-term, but just you wait until the SCOTUS verdicts on DOMA and/or Prop 8 go against your side and the Illinois legislatures vote again on this issue in November, you won't be celebrating then. This non-vote on IL SB10 in the house is NOT a "victory" at all, it is just a delay of the game or even a defeat.

Homophobic cranks at the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) also gloated last night's non-vote in the House as a "victory."
NOM:

Washington, DC — The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today celebrated the failure of legislation to come to a vote late this evening in Illinois seeking to redefine marriage, thus preserving marriage in the state as the union of one man and one woman. The bill's House sponsor, Rep. Greg Harris, announced this evening that he did not have the votes to pass the measure and would not bring the legislation to a vote. Assuming this is the case, the bill is thus dead until the fall when the Legislature reconvenes for a veto session. 

"This effort to redefine marriage in Illinois was one of the most fiercely contested legislative battles in the country this year," said Brian Brown, NOM's president. "This is a great victory for our allies and supporters, as well as Illinois families who have worked tirelessly with us to preserve marriage in Illinois. We are gratified that our collective hard work has paid off in this stunning victory." 

"So much for the inevitability of gay marriage," said Brian Brown. "With a coalition that included strong support from the African American community as well as so many others throughout the state, we did what nobody in the intelligentsia thought was possible. This is a huge victory at a pivotal time, and totally undercuts the lie that somehow same-sex marriage is inevitable."

What you're really doing, NOM, is that you're only delaying the inevitable passage of marriage equality in the state.


But here's the good news: When the Fall Veto Session resumes, hopefully we'll get marriage equality passed and done right!! Pray for it to be passed this fall!!!


Chicago Phoenix:

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois gay and lesbian couples will not wake up to the promise of full marriage equality on Saturday. 

In a devastating and unexpected blow to marriage equality supporters Friday, the sponsor of a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage was unable to call the measure up for vote before time ran out on the legislative session. 

The sudden and resounding defeat for marriage proponents ends an intense, emotional, and at times nasty months-long debate over the issue in the Spring legislative session, but hope remains for another shot in the November veto session. 

All of that was felt in the House chamber when Rep. Greg Harris, the bill’s sponsor stood to speak minutes before adjournment.
The entire room fell silent. 

Harris rose from his chair, and in a tearful message to the Illinois House, said he was unable to convince enough of his fellow lawmakers and achieve a 60-vote majority required to pass the bill. Those assembled in the gallery erupted, shouting “Call the vote!” But Harris stood, momentarily crippled by the response, and then continued to explain.
The state General Assembly will return for the veto session later this year.

UPDATE (06.01.2013): Illinois same-sex marriage bill gets a reprieve, will be considered anytime before August 31st, per the Illinois Observer..

(Springfield, IL) – Insider: The Illinois same sex marriage bill had its deadline date for approval extended into the summer. 

House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) acted quietly on Friday night before the House adjourned to extend the bill’s deadline for approval until August 31. 

State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) told a packed House chamber on Friday evening that he had to put off a vote on the proposal until November. 

However, were Governor Pat Quinn to call lawmakers back to Springfield in the summer for a special session to address pension reform, which also was left without resolution, he could include Senate Bill 10 in a special session proclamation. 

If Quinn declines to include marriage equality in any order to lawmakers to return to Springfield, Madigan could call a House special session of his own at the same time to take up the legislation, an insider noted. 

Nevertheless, during a summer session, House lawmakers would need to amend the bill and change the effective date from “30 days” from a gubernatorial signature to January 1 in order to avoid a 3/5th or 71 vote requirement, an insurmountable hurdle.
Amending the bill’s effective date would also require an Illinois Senate vote to concur with such a change.

That is at least some good news.



More on the IL marriage equality fight, see the #IL4M tag on Justin's Political Corner: http://justinspoliticalcorner.tumblr.com/tagged/IL4M


Twitter/Instagram hashtags in support of IL SB10: #IL4M, #ILove, #ILequality, #ILSB10, #FightBackIL

Today is the day that House will take up Illinois Marriage Equality bill IL SB10

Today's the big day in the House for the fate of IL SB10, the marriage equality bill. Please pray for its passage!

If it passes, we're the 13th state (14th including DC) to pass marriage equality, making for exciting times for our state.

I personally hope and pray that same-sex marriage is legalized in my home state, and I urge you to call and/or email your Representative to tell that person to vote YES on IL SB10! 

More on the IL marriage equality fight, see the #IL4M tag on Justin's Political Corner: http://justinspoliticalcorner.tumblr.com/tagged/IL4M


Twitter/Instagram hashtags in support of IL SB10: #IL4M, #ILove, #ILequality, #ILSB10

Pray that the Illinois House passes Marriage Equality this week, making it the 13th state to do so

In the next few days prior to May 31st-- possibly as soon as today in the Illinois House of Representatives-- a vote on the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act (aka IL SB10) will occur, and if it passes, it will make Illinois the 13th state to legalize same-sex marriage.

ICYMI on my past editorials on marriage equality to the BND:
01.30.2013, before the Senate vote:

With the pending legalization of same-sex marriage coming to the Land of Lincoln via the Illinois General Assembly, let’s remember some facts:

•  Same-sex marriage legalization benefits the economy.

• Marriage is between two human adults, whether it is between a man and a woman, woman and woman, or man and man.

• It will not lead to people marrying their cats, dogs, turtles, computers or any other non-human(s).

• Unlike the current civil unions law, same-sex couples will have full benefits and rights.

• Despite the fearmongering from the Illinois Family Institute and other religious right conservative interest groups, religious freedoms will not be weakened if this bill passes.

I think it’s long past time to make Illinois the tenth state to legalize same-sex marriage 

.
Justin Gibson
Granite City

03.05.2013, while still in limbo between the House Committee vote and the full House vote:

On Valentine’s Day, The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act (SB10) passed 34-21-2-2 in the Illinois Senate. And on Tuesday night before 10:30 p.m., the House Executive Committee voted 6-5 to send it to the full House for its vote, which will most likely occur within the next two weeks.

As SB10 gets closer to a full vote in the Illinois House of Representatives, it is important to consider the benefits of allowing same-sex marriage in Illinois (a letter that I wrote to this paper in more detail that was featured in the Jan. 30 edition).

I want to add more points about this issue:
* As a Christian who believes in religious freedom and attends church every Sunday, it is both the right thing and the Christian thing to endorse this bill’s passage because of its religious freedom protections, even if the majority of the attenders of my church (Grace Baptist Church in Granite City) oppose the bill.

* As a resident of Illinois, it is the smart thing to pass the bill in support of giving couples who love each other — irrespective of sexual orientation — the freedom to marry whoever they choose. 

* When same-sex marriage finally becomes the law here in the Land of Lincoln, it will improve the Supreme Court’s chances of ruling in favor of repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and/or California’s Proposition 8 that was passed in 2008.
Contact your state representative to vote “yes” on SB10.

Justin Gibson
Granite City

That second letter hit home regarding religious freedom and my support of IL SB10.

The Illinois GOP decided to make Pat Brady resign earlier this month due to his support of marriage equality.

MSNBC:

Embroiled in an intraparty fight over his support for gay marriage, Illinois GOP Chairman Pat Brady stepped down on Tuesday as leader of the state party.
Brady has been facing heat from the more conservative wing of his party for months, ever since he announced his support for same sex marriage legislation before the state legislature earlier this year.

The new head of the ILGOP will very likely be a far-right IFI-type loon running it.


I personally hope and pray that same-sex marriage is legalized in my home state, and I urge you to call and/or email your Representative to tell that person to vote YES on IL SB10! 

More on the IL marriage equality fight, see the #IL4M tag on Justin's Political Corner: http://justinspoliticalcorner.tumblr.com/tagged/IL4M


Twitter/Instagram hashtags in support of IL SB10: #IL4M, #ILove, #ILequality, #ILSB10

Why KMOV MUST fire GOP hack Larry Conners

As you may have heard in the news recently, veteran KMOV news anchor (and right-wing hero) Larry Conners (@lconnersnews4) is in really hot water because he claimed (falsely) that he was "harassed by the IRS"  after his infamous interview with President Obama last year in which he asked right-wing gotcha questions (most notably the "Obamas take too much vacations" lie promulgated through the wingnut universe).


From the 05.14.2013 edition of KMOV's News 4 at 6:


Transcript:

“First, I need to state those were my personal views, not those of KMOV-TV,” Conners said (video above). “Second, to be fair, I should disclose that my issues with the IRS preceded that interview by several years. As a journalist I understand the importance of keeping personal matters separate from my professional work — sometimes you have to do that retain your independence as a newsman. Those lines might have been unintentionally crossed yesterday by my [Facebook] post.”

The facts: Conners' tax problems with the IRS go back to several years BEFORE his interview with Obama.

STLtoday.com:

Conners backed off his earlier claim about the IRS on KMOV's 5 p.m. newscast Tuesday. The Post-Dispatch reported his initial IRS suspicions at 11 a.m. Conners declined to comment in the time between the Post-Dispatch report and his televised statement. 

St. Louis County records show that a federal tax lien has been placed on Conners’ property in Clayton. The lien claims that Conners and his wife, Janet L. Conners, owe more than $85,000 in “small business/self employed” taxes. 

The lien, filed Sept. 20 in Chicago and then recorded in St. Louis County on Oct. 4, specifically alleges that the Conners owe the government $7,793 from 2008, $38,482 from 2009 and $39,508 from 2010.

Dear KMOV (or KMOTea), if you want any credibility left, you should do the right thing and fire Mr. Conners ASAP!

I have converted to Duck Dynasty fandom

I have grown into a fan of the A&E show Duck Dynasty in recent times.

My favorite of the four beards is Uncle Si.


Happy Happy Happy!

My Top 50 favorite Tweeps of the past 4+ years

In honor of my four year Twitter anniversary this past Sunday, I am going to present you a Top 50 of my favorite Twitter accounts of the past four years.



On-Deck:
63 St. Louis Blues mascot Louie (@LouieSTLBlues)
62 Mother Jones (@MotherJones)
61 Matt Stroehmer (@MStroehmer)
60 Shane Gray (@ShaneGmoSTLRams)
59 St. Louis Post Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz (@miklasz)
58 AddictingInfo.org (@AddInfoOrg)
57 @smileyt22
56 Howie Klein (@downwithtyranny)
55 Karoli Kuns (@Karoli)
54 Imani Gandy (@AngryBlackLady)

53 John Bracamontes (@johnbtes)

52 Timmy Deckard (@ThePrimetime07)
51 MoveOn.org (@MoveOn)

Top 50:
50 My brother Aaron Gibson (@StreetBikeAaron)
49 SuChin Pak (@suchinpak)
48 ATRL's Steven Saltzman (@beaconspring)
47 Aaron Camp (@AaronApolloCamp)
46 John Taylor (@VH1access)
45 my Spanish Teacher at Granite City High School Joi Svezia (@Joidan82)
44 Rich Miller at CapitolFax (@capitolfax)
43 KSDK traffic lady and TISL fill-in anchor Sara Dayley (@sjdayley)
42 KSDK meteorologist Bree Smith (@BreeSmithWx)
41 Taylor Ryan (@TaylorJewelRyan)


40 KSDK NBC (@ksdknews)
39 Former STL Cards OF Jim Edmonds (@JimEdmonds)
38 New York Times' Paul Krugman (@NYTimeskrugman)
37 Fox2 anchor/reporter Rebecca Roberts (@RRobertsTV)

36 Washington Post and MSNBC's Ezra Klein (@ezraklein)

35 Mark Bland (@markbland)
34 Adam Shriver (@AdamJShriver)
33 Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown (D) (@SenSherrodBrown)
32 KTVI Fox2 (@FOX2now)
31 Fox2 meteorologist Angela Hutti (@AngWxGrl)


30 Fox2 and KPLR anchor April Simpson (@foxonfox)
29 Florida Congressman Alan Grayson (D) (@AlanGrayson)
28 MMFA senior fellow Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert)
27 MSNBC's Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes)
26 TYT and Current TV's Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur)
25 MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence)
24 Talking Points Memo (@TPM)
23 Tim Peacock (@timsimms)
22 St. Louis Rams (NFL) (@STLouisRams)
21 PFAW's Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch)

20 St. Louis Blues (NHL) (@StLouisBlues)
19 St. Louis Cardinals (MLB) (@Cardinals)
18 Kane (founder of Indio Radio) (@INDIO_RADIO) and John Launius, hosts of The John and Kane Show (@JohnLaun1)
17 Think Progress (@thinkprogress)
16 Media Matters For America (@mmfa)
15 Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren (D) (@SenWarren and @elizabethforma)
14 MMFA's Oliver Willis (@owillis)
13 @slackadjuster
12 Indio Radio's The John and Kane Show (@JohnandKaneShow)
11 ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter)

10 Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas (@markos)
9 Fox2 reporter and host of The Jaco Report Charles Jaco (@charlesjacofox2)
8 Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann)
7 ATRL's Brandon Stephens (@IAmRedSky)
6 MSNBC's Rachel Maddow (@maddow)
5 Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (I/D) (@SenSanders)
4 ATRL's Christina Maxwell (@tinawho and @CMaxwell_)
3 Fox2 anchor Angie Mock (@angiemocktv)
2 ATRL's Tyler C. (@tylerc)
1 President Barack Obama (D) (@BarackObama) and First Lady Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama)/Vice President Joe Biden (D) (@JoeBiden)

Next: Top 50 least favorite Tweeps of the past 4+ years

Comment as you see fit.

This blog has finally switched to the Disqus comment system.

The new comment system will now be in effect to crack down on spammers.

Note: This blog's comments will switch to Disqus commenting system.

This blog's comment system will switch to Disqus on Easter Sunday.

Indio Radio: The next big thing

Changes to Indio Radio: The John and Drew Show is no longer called that due to conservative extremist Drew Ishmael (@drewhistoryguy) heading to a podcast full-time with fellow wingnut loon Dottie Bailey (@DottieBailey1). Ishmael may be back as a guest and/or fill-in host on Indio Radio's main show. That podcast's official name is TBA as of this writing.


Back to JADS: The show goes on with just John Launius (@JohnLaun1) and Kane (@INDIO_RADIO), provisionally titled The John and Kane Show.


On the music front, Indio Radio is largely an Alt/AAA hybrid, with older songs thrown in.

Give it a listen, and you may just find good music.

Tomorrow's the big day in Illinois: marriage equality will be voted on in the State Senate

Tomorrow, the Illinois State Senate will vote to legalize same-sex marriage. The bill in question is IL SB 10, known as the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act. Give thanks to Equality Illinois, Lambda Legal, and Illinois Unites For Marriage for leading the state down the path to making the Land of Lincoln the 10th state to legalize marriage equality.

Illinois Republican Party Chair Pat Brady supports IL SB10, which has led to a huge backlash from the social conservative wing of the ILGOP over this issue-- enough for calls to step down. He has stood his ground thus far.

On the anti-marriage equality side: Next Wednesday, the far-right hate group Illinois Family Institute (IFI) is organizing "Defend Marriage Lobby  Day," or really "Defend Homophobia Day."

Details of tomorrow's vote on HuffPo:

The Illinois Senate on Thursday is expected to advance a bill legalizing same-sex marriage to a vote in the state House of Representatives, the last remaining obstacle to marriage equality in the land of Lincoln. 

The historic vote could come as early as 11 a.m. Thursday, according to the Windy City Times, and marriage equality proponents are very confident in their odds. 

The state House of Representatives is considered to be more conservative than the state Senate and those opposed to the bill are also ramping up their efforts. Downstate, Springfield Bishop Thomas John Paprocki issued a screed urging that Catholics who "propose or promote the legal establishment of marriage as somethingother than the union of one man and one woman harm the common good of society."
If Illinois moves to legalize same-sex marriage, it will become the tenth marriage equality U.S. state. The state has had civil unions available for same-sex couples since June 2011.

I hope you call or email your legislators to vote YES on IL SB10. We need to pray that this bill gets passed through both the Senate and the House, and off to Gov. Pat Quinn's desk for signing the bill into law.


My editorial in the 01.30.2013 edition of the Belleville News-Democrat in support of same-sex marriage:

With the pending legalization of same-sex marriage coming to the Land of Lincoln via the Illinois General Assembly, let’s remember some facts:

•  Same-sex marriage legalization benefits the economy.

• Marriage is between two human adults, whether it is between a man and a woman, woman and woman, or man and man.

• It will not lead to people marrying their cats, dogs, turtles, computers or any other non-human(s).

• Unlike the current civil unions law, same-sex couples will have full benefits and rights.

• Despite the fearmongering from the Illinois Family Institute and other religious right conservative interest groups, religious freedoms will not be weakened if this bill passes.

I think it’s long past time to make Illinois the tenth state to legalize same-sex marriage 

.
Justin Gibson
Granite City

Another letter by me in the 02.16.2012 edition of the BND in support of SSM:

Next comes gay marriage 

With recent news reports saying that Illinois will possibly get full marriage equality legalized, I hope more good things happen to our state.
We got civil unions passed more than a year ago (thanks to the miraculous re-election of Gov. Pat Quinn), but this is a long overdue critical next step for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning rights.
The religious right and their far-right homophobic sympathizers such as the Illinois Family Institute and National Organization for Marriage will try to derail it at all costs, but in the end, it will pass for the good of the citizens. 

Justin Gibson
Granite City

Twitter/Instagram hashtags in support of IL SB10: #IL4M, #ILove, #ILequality, #ILSB10

Glad that the NHL lockout is over

I am happy, as a hockey fan, that the Gary Bettman/owners-imposed lockout is over.

Personally, as for Bettman, he should resign. He is a disgrace to the NHL and he locked out the league 3 times, including one that wiped out the entire 2004-2005 season.

Donald Fehr, the head of the NHLPA, was better than the last one (Goodenow).

The mediator saved the day.


Go BLUES and Penguins!

ATRL/JGRS Radio (2013)

01.01.2013:

25 Shinedown "Bully"
24 The Lumineers "Ho Hey"
23 Katy Perry "Part of Me"

EX Paramore "Crushcrushcrush" #1 in 2007
22 Green Day "Oh Love"
21 M83 "Midnight City"

20 Chevelle "Face To The Floor"
19 Kelly Clarkson "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)"
18 The Black Keys "Lonely Boy"

EX Paramore "Decode" #1 in 2008
17 Metric "Youth Without Youth"
16 AWOLnation "Not Your Fault" 

EX Green Day "Know Your Enemy" #1 in 2009
15 fun. "Some Nights"

14 Rise Against "Satellite"
13 Alex Clare "Too Close"

EX 311 "Count Me In" [#298]
12 The Black Keys "Gold On The Ceiling”
11 Red Hot Chili Peppers "Look Around"

10 Neon Trees "Everybody Talks"
9 Muse "Madness"

EX Avenged Sevenfold “Carry On” [#99]
8 Chevelle "Hats Off To The Bull"
7 Three Days Grace "Chalk Outline"
6 Imagine Dragons "It's Time"

EX The Royal Concept “Gimme Twice” [#211]
5 Of Monsters and Men "Little Talks"
4 Grouplove "Tongue Tied"
3 fun./Janelle Monáe "We Are Young"

EX Muse "Resistance" #347, #1 in 2010
2 Gotye/Kimbra "Somebody That I Used To Know"
1 Linkin Park "Burn It Down"
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/28207703

02.23.2013:  "Illinois: The Fight For Marriage Equality":
The Mowgli's - San Francisco
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis/Mary Lambert - Same Love
Tegan and Sara - Closer
Radiohead - Creep
Foals - Inhaler
Living Colur - Cult of Personality
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/29516999

02.26.2013:  "Illinois: The Fight For Marriage Equality":

Twenty | One | Pilots - Holding On To You
Allen Stone - Sleep
Device - Vilify
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/29586280


03.17.2013:

Robert DeLong – Global Concepts

Phoenix – Entertainment

Paramore – Still Into You

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Sacrilege 

The Strokes – All The Time

Katy Perry – Firework

30 Seconds To Mars – Kings and Queens

Kasabian – Club Foot

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/30061126

08.10.13:
Katy Perry - Roar
NONONO - Pumpin' Blood
Alt-J - Breezeblocks
Nine Inch Nails - Came Back Haunted
Avenged Sevenfold - Hail To The King